


Unsalted Earth

by Scriberat



Series: Month of Mei 2020 [27]
Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:54:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24413170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scriberat/pseuds/Scriberat
Summary: War is over, and now that boundaries are blurred, it's time to try new things, like going to the beach and talking to old enemies to make new friends.
Relationships: Jafar/Ren Koumei
Series: Month of Mei 2020 [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727365
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Unsalted Earth

**Author's Note:**

> this did not start or end like i thought it would, nor did it take any expected path
> 
> yeehaw

Seeing him was unusual, but, given that this was a popular vacation spot, it wasn't impossible. So why did Ja'far pick  _ this week _ to come!? Koumei sighed and tried to put it out of his mind as he did Beach Things with Kouha. Right now, they were building a sandcastle.

"You noticed him, too, right? The blue-haired woman out in the water is with him," Kouha said, poking at the walls with a stick to create arrow slits.

Koumei nodded. "I'd rather not pick a fight, but I would like to speak to him."

"I can distract the lady."

"They've noticed us," Koumei said.

From a nearby point on the beach, Ja'far had seen the two of them. Great. He was here with Pipirika to relax and get away from work, but now he would rather be there than here. He would have rather that be the case from the start, but this was actively attacking his will to be here.

So why were Koumei and Kouha here!? He sighed and turned back to his book. They were building a Kouish castle in the sand. Of course they were. It was probably the only kind they knew.

Pipirika came up to him after swimming. "Ahh, that was fun. This vacation was a great idea~ What's got you in a tizzy?" she asked.

"Nothing," Ja'far said. "Why don't we go and get something to eat for lunch?"

"That sounds great! Let's go and get some takoyaki!"

"Do they even have that here?"

"They better, there's a beach shop over there with Kina decorations~"

The two of them headed to the shop. Oddly enough, the Kou bros had disappeared, which put him at ease.

"Hello! May I take your order?" the cashier asked.

"Two orders of takoyaki, please," Ja'far and Koumei said. They stared at each other.

"Two orders?"

"Two orders each. That'll be four in total on separate tabs, please," Koumei said, quickly resolving the issue.

"Okay, two separate orders?"

"Yes." They waited at the counter with the other customers for their food.

"So... You're at the beach," Ja'far said.

"I am. You are, as well," Koumei said.

"Yep." 

They stood there.

"Nice weather today," said Koumei.

"Yeah, it is. Perfect for a day... at the beach." That was lame. Ja'far mentally smacked himself.

"I'd rather stay in the shade. I burn."

"So do I. But your company made that product, right? Sunscreen?"

"Yes, it did. I've applied it, but it only does so much."

"We've been trying to copy it, but without much success."

"Zinc. The ingredient you need is zinc. Make sure to balance it properly."

"Right... Why tell me?"

"What kind of burn is healthy? Sindria Trading Corporation is in markets we aren't in. In order to get this out to more people, I'll share the recipe."

"I thought Kou guarded its secrets jealously."

"When they need to be."

"And when do they need to be?"

"When they're incomplete."

"Incomplete?" Ja'far furrowed his brow, confused by what Koumei said.

"Much as how Headmistress Yamuraiha refuses to share her spells before she has finished them for proper use, we guard the secrets of our operation and products until the products are on shelves. Then we're willing to discuss them."

"I see." How strange. "You won't continue making money like that."

"People buy our magic tools, our crops, our cloth, and many other raw materials that we provide. We can afford the competition."

"Four orders of takoyaki!"

They took the takoyaki back to their tables. Ja'far ate his, wondering and thinking on what Koumei said.

"Haven't seen you think so hard in a whole day," Pipirika said. "What's got you worked up?"

"Ren Koumei," Ja'far said.

"Him? Oh, right, I saw them on the beach. Did you get into a fight with him?"

"No, I'm just trying to understand him better."

"Really?" Pipirika gasped. "Do you have a crush on him!?"

"What!? No!" Ja'far said loudly. People looked over, including the Rens. He made eye contact with Koumei and hurriedly looked away. 

"You totally do!"

Kouha looked over at the sudden outburst and watched Ja'far look away suddenly after seeing Koumei. Her mind whirred for a moment, then stopped on the most obvious conclusion.

"He has a crush on you," Kouha said. Koumei spluttered into his tea.

"Highly unlikely. I doubt he even likes me much, to be perfectly honest. More likely that our conversation earlier upset him and he would rather not deal with my existence."

"Oh, come on. He's dealing with you being here when like 2 years ago, you were enemies, but something you said must have sparked something inside him~"

"Don't let your mind wander."

"Alright, alright, I won't." They both took another bite. "You would make a cute pair, though."

  
  


Koumei glared at her. Kouha giggled and blepped.

They returned to the beach after eating, but not before both parties relocated further from each other.

And yet... Despite knowing he was once an enemy, despite knowing how disappointed his family would be, now that he had had the chance to speak to him once more, Koumei had to admit that Ja'far was at least pretty attractive.

So the feeling wouldn't be mutual.

After dinner and retiring to their room, Koumei went out on the common lounge balcony to relax and give Kouha some space to chat with Lo'lo. Ja'far joined him soon after.

"Did you have a nice day?" Koumei asked.

"I did. You? You don't look burnt."

"I did. I also applied three layers of sunscreen."

"No wonder you smell like that."

"Is it bad?" Koumei asked. He tried to sniff himself.

"No, you smell nice... well, with the sunscreen on."

Koumei chuckled. "Indeed. I used to forget to bathe. Kouha is making sure I keep up on hygiene and self care while we're here."

"Seriously? How could you forget to bathe?" Ja'far asked incredulously.

"I also forgot to eat and change clothes. There was a lot to handle in the old days. Still is, especially with the world the way it is."

"So you forget yourself when you're working, huh?"

"I do. I doubt that happens to you."

"On occasion, when I have something particularly stressful to think about, like the summit."

"I see. We have something in common, then."

"How often did you miss meals and baths?"

"Daily. It's stressful to be a central point of a massive empire."

"I see." They stood next to each other for a stretch. "Do you ever regret what you did?"

"Daily, but I strike the thoughts from my mind. There's too much to do to worry about the past."

"You sound like Sinbad."

"Do I? He was rather similar to us. It's a shame he never realized we were using Al Thamen. After unison of the world, we were going to destroy them and finally take revenge for our cousins."

"Revenge?"

"Yes. Al Thamen was nested within our borders, and my aunt was Arba. She murdered her own children because they were a threat to her. Aside from my brother, Hakuyuu and Hakuren were my favorite family members."

"Family is important to you, right?"

"Yes, but chosen family is moreso. My brother, my sisters, my two cousins. They are my family."

"I feel the same about the generals," Ja'far said. "Guess we have even more in common."

"Indeed."

They stood there in a somewhat awkward silence.

"My elder brother used to stay up late reading old scrolls. If anyone can speak fluent Torranian, it would be him, but at what cost?"

"Sinbad drank all the time. I mean  _ all _ the time. 7 in the morning and his drink of choice was watered down wine."

"Seriously? I guess bad habits infect us all."

"We need them to know what good habits are."

"Can they stop affecting us negatively?" Koumei asked, rubbing his skin. Ja'far laughed. It was a nice laugh  _ oh no. _

_ Kouha, what have you done to me!? _

"I would love for them to stop affecting me negatively. I've recently taken to chewing on my nails."

"They do seem rather short and rough. If you want, I could ask Kouha to file those down so they're smooth again."

"That would be nice. I keep scratching myself too hard."

"Why don't we go up now? As long as you don't mind her being distracted by Lo'lo."

"I don't mind, I think. Wait, her? Kouha's a male, isn't he?"

"Kouha has a penis like I do, but as far as whether or not she's a man, that depends on the day."

"... Huh."

"She can explain better and in more detail."

They went up to Koumei and Kouha's shared room. Kouha was laughing and being flirty on the bed.

"Oh, Mei-nii-san is back. And he has Ja'far with him~" Kouha cooed over the pair. Koumei rolled his eyes.

"Think you can smooth out his nails?"

"Smooth out his — Mei-nii, what are you two getting up to!?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter. He's been scratching himself up by accident."

"Ohh, I see. I'll call you back, Lo~" Kouha hung up and popped into her suitcase for a sec, motioning for Ja'far to sit on the bed. Then she took a hand and started filing the nails.

"So... your brother mentioned some..." How do you even phrase this!?

"I mentioned today's pronouns and he got confused," Koumei said.

"Oh, I see! You're confused about my gender. I have six."

"What?" That made less sense.

"Yeah. A lot of people are aware of having one gender, the one that matches their body in society. Some people's societal gender isn't their real one, though. I have five that don't fit it totally, and one that does."

"But six? What even are they?"

"Male and female, like you know. Male but to the right, female but to the left, one I call void where it feels like there's no gender at all, and one I call bloom where it feels like I'm every gender at once," Kouha said.

"H-how interesting," Ja'far said.

"Kouha figured this all out when she was 13. Being the outcast gave her time and space to explore who she was. When she told us, we had a difficult time with it, but came to accept it and understand over time."

"I see." Ja'far watched Kouha work on his nails with care and attention he hadn't experienced in ages. "You're well-practiced at this."

"Personal hygiene is important. It's something I prioritize when I can," Kouha said, flicking her long hair. She really did look like a woman with it.

"Did you get all of Koumei's skills in personal care?" Ja'far asked. Kouha paused and burst out laughing.

"I so did!" She giggled and finished one hand. Koumei chuckled, as well.

"Say, Ja'far, do you enjoy the beach?"

"I can't say I'm against it, but my first choice would be a hotspring."

"A hotspring sounds nice," Koumei said, humming. "Perhaps I'll go to one next year."

"You mean in half a year?" Kouha asked.

"What do you mean, half a year?" Koumei asked.

"I mean I'm gonna make sure you take care of yourself, and that means 8 days off every 6 months, at least."

"Funny, Pipirika mentioned the same thing," Ja'far said.

Koumei froze. Kouha had Sharrkan in her phone since one night she spent drinking with the man. She also had the numbers of many other powerful people. Did that include Pipirika?

"Kouha," Koumei said.

"Yes?" Kouha asked slowly, knowing what Koumei was thinking.

"Did you two plan this?"

"Yeah, we did. We figured if you two talked, it would end well and make things more peaceful."

Koumei sighed and chuckled. "Alright. Well done. What do you say, Ja'far? Shall we get dinner tomorrow and make things peaceful?"

"That sounds like a date," Ja'far said, weirded out. Koumei shook his head vigorously.

"As friends! Just as friends. Or rather, acquaintances."

"A dinner between acquaintances sounds good to me," Ja'far said. Koumei smiled and nodded. 

Once Kouha was done with Ja'far's nails, Koumei escorted him back to his own room.

"Thanks for the help with my nails."

"Thank you for being considerate toward me."

"Considerate?" Ja'far asked. It was a surprising choice of words.

"I had thought you would be yelling at me for the things I've done and orchestrated." 

"I want to. Believe me, I really want to tear into you. But this isn't the place for that."

"Thank you. Tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow."

Maybe the earth between them wasn't salted yet. Something could grow there.

**Author's Note:**

> :D


End file.
